A majority of federal leaders expect the technology changes put in place at their agencies in response to COVID-19 to become permanent ways of conducting business, even after the pandemic, according to Science Applications International Corp.’s survey of C-level federal executives.
The findings revealed that an overwhelming majority of survey respondents (84%) reported they are more or just as productive since shifting to remote work, with 82% responding they expect remote work to continue into the future.
Forty-one percent of respondents expect to telework an average three days a week post-pandemic, and another 41% anticipate to telework four or five days a week — compared to an average two days of weekly telework prior to the pandemic.
The pandemic has ushered in unprecedented challenges for federal agencies, especially those tasked with public health and economic security, said Mark Forman, SAIC vice president of digital government strategy.
“There is no question about the dedication of the federal workforce to perform their mission in the pandemic, but it would not have been possible without IT,” he added. “And as the survey showed, people working in health-related agencies not only moved online, but worked on average more than five days a week. For that, we are very grateful.”
Conducted by Market Connections, the survey polled 300 federal government respondents on their perceptions surrounding the challenges and requirements faced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.